The growth paradox: Your firm won't grow unless you do.

I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between people and organizational growth.

The CEOs, C-suite leaders, and up-and-comers I work with as an advisor and coach all want to enable their organizations to grow at a rapid rate.

Ok, well who's going to enable that growth?

People.

More specifically, leaders within the firm.

Leaders must level up and perform at a higher level for the organization to do the same. One doesn't happen without the other.

As it relates to people leveling up, here's what I've come to believe: People perform best as a result of bespoke, intentional development.

The problem?

Most firms don't provide those types of opportunities, and most leaders don't prioritize the time to develop themselves and think strategically on their own.

I'm challenging you to change that.

The development problem in most firms

I've written about the difference between ​the dance floor vs the balcony​.

Here's how a typical conversation goes when I ask leaders about spending more time on the balcony—specifically, the self-development balcony.

Me: "What are you doing to develop your leadership skills and opportunities to perform at a higher level?"

Them: "Not much... but I know I should be doing more of that."

Me: "Why aren't you doing more?"

Them: "I have too much to do. There's too much to accomplish and not enough time to get it all done."

Me: "Is your employer helping? Like, really helping? By providing bespoke development opportunities to help you level up?"

Them: "Well, we have periodic leadership meetings and offsites. But no, not necessarily anything that's bespoke."

Me: "What do you and your boss talk about?"

Them: "Mostly what's here and now. Status updates and operational results."

Me: "And is that helping you develop as a leader and perform at a higher level?"

Them: "Not really. No..."

Bingo.

What will it take?

The money shot I pose to leaders:

"What will it take for you to focus on you—your development as a professional and leader—for 60 minutes per week, without lengthening your week and adding hours to your schedule?"

52 hours per year. That’s it!

That’s only about 2% of your working time in a given year!

Is that really too much to ask?! I don’t think so…

If you are reading this, I pose the same question to you.

What will it take for you to prioritize "you time" each week?

Based on my experience, that usually brings up two questions:

1. "How do I create the time?"

Audit your week.

What career non-value-add tasks can you assign to someone with less experience, or not do altogether to make room for one hour of self-development or growth per week?

Look, we all can examine our typical week and find time dedicated to repetitive tasks, paperwork, or other work that's not adding value to our careers.

Even me!

How many times a week do you say to yourself, "Well, I'm just going to do this myself so I can get it done quicker"?

Ok...but that one thing turns into two... then three... and now you're doing a bunch of stuff because it's easy.

That's not valuable to you or your organization.

Use AI to automate them, assign them to a more junior person in the firm, or find other help to move them off your plate.

Then, you have to block the time on your calendar for your own development or to think strategically.

I don't care if you don't dedicate that exact same 60-minute time slot each week to self-development (although a measly 52hrs per year seems light on what we should devote to improving our skills); it's about keeping it top of mind.

The time is there, I promise you. Your job is to find it.

2. "What do I do during that time?"

The best way I can help you come up with this is to pose this question:

What do you need to do to develop so that when the next big position or opportunity opens up (manager, business lead, CEO), you are on the candidate list?

That's the future state.

Getting considered for the job, or dare I say, actually getting it.

What personal transformational steps do you need to take to accomplish that future state?

Need to develop your ability to lead a team to accomplish more? Invest in coaching.

Need to be able to think about the business more strategically and connect the dots? Read books written by accomplished CEOs and network with other leaders outside of your industry.

Need to build more relationships within your firm? Commit to one weekly meeting to sit down with another leader and understand their priorities and perspective on the business.

Need to develop your abilities as a presenter and communicator? Hire a coach or find a communication-based workshop you can attend.

Need to develop a certain skillset, like AI, or at least a deeper understanding of it? Listen to a podcast, read an article, or ask to speak with someone who's an expert in that field.

Need a clear strategy for your practice? ​Consult with someone​ who's successfully done what you are seeking to do, or commit to 60 minutes of focused thinking time to whiteboard out your ideas.

When you think about the ideal future state for your career, you can work backward to figure out the personal transformation needed to get there.

My Challenge to You

This is one of those things that's simple, not easy.

The hard part is committing the time!

Are you spending "you time" each week? Are you getting to the personal balcony?

Be honest with yourself...

If the answer is no (which I know it is for many of you reading this), then here's the challenge:

What will it take for you to focus on you for 60 minutes per week—without lengthening your week and adding hours to your schedule?

And if you think I'm being too hard or unfair with that question and there's just no way you can do it without adding more to your plate, write back to me and tell me and tell me I’m full of it!

Your team, practice, business area, or firm will only grow relative to how you (and the leaders around you) develop and grow as a professional.

So start developing yourself.

With intention,
Alan D Whitman